Convictions
by turbomagnus
Summary: :Power Rangers Literati 15: Zack, J.T. and Amanda try to find a new employee for Highway 2, only it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack a WET haystack. Meanwhile, Mars is out for blood - Daniel's.


Disclaimer: While I don't own the overall concept of Power Rangers, Zords, and all else that goes with it, I, along with the friends that are involved with the story, do own Power Rangers Literati itself and its componants.

* * *

Power Rangers Literati  
"Convictions"  
By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

* * *

Towering above the streets of Scenic City, a battle rages. On one side, the Literati Megazord, the combination of all six Spiritzords, piloted by the Literati Rangers. On the other, a giant mutated skunk created by Mars.

Hey, no one ever said evil wizards out for revenge were perfect.

"Have we filled the prerequisite fifteen minutes of fighting?"

"Closer to twenty, actually."

"Second commercial break's over then, now we can just push it over."

"Would you guys stop with the bad Eighties cartoon jokes already?"

Or heroic fighting teams, for that matter.

The Megazord took the Knight Spiritzord's sword in it's dragon hand, igniting it in flame.

"'As you command, Megatron...' 'Form Blazing Sword!'"

Daniel turned to glare at J.T., "I think you WANT us to get sued."

"You want to drive, Daniel?" The Ranger piloting the Megazord snapped back.

"Yes, actually, I WOULD like to drive, Magnus. Your track record of collateral damage is the second highest of the team."

"Too bad," J.T. laughed, "Maybe next time, Mega Man; right now it's time for the big finish!"

The Megazord raised the sword high above its head, then moved it anticlockwise to form a circle of flame in front of the Megazord. It was then lowered until the sword's crossbar was just below the Megazord's eyes.

"Ring of Fire... Away!"

The flaming circle shot away from the Literati Megazord towards the monster engulfing it in a miniture hell. As the flames increased in strength, the sheer energy caused the monster to explode in similar flames as it met its end.

"In the immortal words of Jesse James," J.T. raised his right hand to his brow in a salute to the Rangers' fallen opponent, then twisted it so that he was flipping the monster the bird.

"Save the celebrating for later, J.T., we've got to get back to work..."

* * *

At the sight of the crowd formed outside the doors of Highway 2, J.T. winced.

"You know, if we hurry we might be able to catch Mars before he vanishes again and convince him to make another monster for us to fight..."

"Compared to that monsterous crowd, the thought is tempting..."

"Excuse us, pardon us, coming through, employees here!"

Jessica and Justin led the charge, forcing their way through the crowd and into the building to where Zack was overwhelmed.

"It's about time! It's been crazy like this for the last hour!"

"Sorry, Zack!"

After the chaos had finally died down, the employees and owner of Highway 2 did their best to catch their breaths.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"I have a suspicion..."

"With all that's been happening lately, Ranger-wise, we're gonna need to go through that backlog of applications now more than ever..."

"That's what I was afraid of..."

* * *

"Oo, three strikes and you're out."

As Owner, Manager and Assistant Manager, it fell to Zack, J.T. and Amanda to fulfill the duty of going through the applications to find people that would be able to fill the requirements of working at Highway 2.

"What is it?"

"One, she's looking for a part-time job to work while the kids are in school."

Amanda winced.

J.T. continued, "Two, can't work on Sundays and Wednesdays because of church."

The wince turned into a hiss.

"Three, she used to work at The Unmentionable Circle of Hell..."

"You don't mean..."

"Yep, Movie Gallery over in Murray."

"Aw, HELL NO!"

Zack raised an eyebrow, then looked from Amanda to J.T., "Isn't that usually his line?"

And so it went on, late into the night, reviewing applications and making notations and occasional quotations about them...

* * *

Within a couple of days, the final list of applicants was selected and appointments made for interviews. The place was Highway 2, specificly Zack's office; the people were the same three who had made the choices; the goal was simple - find someone who could handle the insanity of working at Highway 2...

"I'm not getting my hopes up," Amanda commented, taking a seat in the corner by the candy stock - wondering not for the first time why the candy that was in stock but not out by the counter was kept in Zack's office.

"Eh, if nothing else we can have some fun at their expense."

"You're always taking pleasure in the suffering of others, aren't you?"

"Of course. If I didn't I'd wind up like you."

Amanda turned to look at Zack, "Did you hear that?"

Zack smiled and shook his head, "Didn't hear a thing."

"I didn't think you would," Amanda said with menace in her voice.

"Now that we've got the witty banter out of the way, let's bring in the first victim," J.T. smirked, perching himself on the store's safe.

Zack's hand paused on its way to the stack of applications, "Aren't you supposed to correct yourself with 'applicant' or something?"

"Nah, I meant to say victim," J.T. answered as Zack picked up the first application and walked over to the office door...

* * *

J.T. rubbed the back of his neck, "Next question; which Clerks do you prefer; the original, the sequel or the animated series?"

The man sitting in the chair across from Zack blinked, "None of them."

Amanda's tone was disbelieving, and the interview had been going so well too, "I'm sorry?"

"Kevin Smith is a vile person; all of his movies are nothing but foul language, sexual innuendo and glorification of drugs - I refuse to watch them," the applicant explained.

"I see," Zack paused, shuffling papers around on his desk as he caught the looks of disapproval from his managers, "Thank you for your time, we'll keep your resume on file."

As soon as the door shut behind the leaving party, Zack sighed, "File thirteen?"

"Yep," J.T. answered as Zack tossed the resume in the trash, "How the hell am I supposed to work with someone who won't watch a Kevin Smith movie?"

"'He's a vile person,'" Amanda mocked.

"Idiot probably thinks the customer really IS always right, too..."

Zack groaned, after two years he knew what was coming next...

"Which isn't the least damn bit true. After all," J.T. started, "'J.T. and Amanda are always right.'"

"'I will listen to Amanda and J.T.,'" Amanda continued, the two of them trading off lines as they recited what had become the 'Highway 2 Mantra'.

"'I will not ignore their recommendations.'"

"'Amanda and J.T. are gods.'"

"'And if I ever do anything wrong, they will rip my lungs out,'" J.T. finished.

"Are you done now?"

"Yeah, I think so. 'And who's our next contestant?'" The Black Ranger asked, indicating the door with a flourish.

* * *

"Where can you find a hundred virgins in L.A. on a Saturday night?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's a simple question - Where can you find a hundred virgins in L.A. on a Saturday night?"

"What does that have to do with working in retail?"

Amanda looked at Zack and shook her head, causing him to close the folder he had open on his desk.

"You come highly recommended from your references... unfortunately you don't quite fit the position we're looking to fill at the moment, I'm sorry."

* * *

"Rumiko Takahashi? Isn't that the president of Sony?"

J.T. put out his fist, then turned thumbs down.

* * *

"But yeah, I don't see why everyone assumes that JUST because he used to play in her cave and all Tenchi would love Ryoko - I mean, she never respects him, always trying to force herself on him and all..."

Amanda caught the paper airplane J.T. had tossed and opened it, reading the message inside;

'Obsessed fanshippers we don't need. Can just imagine refusing to sell to someone because of differing 'ships.'

Pulling out a pen, the Yellow Ranger scribbled an answer, refolded the plane, and launched it back at J.T.

'We did that once, remember? But you're right, I don't think they'd work out.'

J.T. crumpled up the paper with a nod and turned to the man behind the desk, "Zack, maybe we should break for lunch?"

"Yeah, I think you're right," Zack looked across his desk at the latest applicant, "Thank you for your interest, we'll get back to you."

As soon as the door shut, J.T.'s head fell backwards against the wall behind him. Almost simultanously, Amanda did a facepalm.

"Oh, good lord," she muttered.

J.T. took a couple of deep breaths, "God save me from humans..."

Zack crossed his arms and laid them and his head down on his desk, "It's not possible. Man, it just can't be possible. No one should be that airheaded."

"We've seen worse," J.T. noted, "Remember Trainee-Girl?"

Amanda groaned, "DON'T remind me... I still have nightmares about working with her."

Zack managed to half-raise his head, "Something tells me this is one of those stories about working at Movie Gallery before you guys came here."

"Oh yeah, one of the worst," J.T. said, rubbing his forehead, "Too annoying to think of even just long enough to tell it..."

"That's cool. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything. I don't want to see anything, for that matter... I just want to sleep..."

Amanda sighed deeply, "I just want to pass out..."

"I just want somebody to love," J.T. started singing, "I just need somebody to love..."

"SHUT UP!" Two voices rang out in annoyance.

* * *

Dan entered the graveyard once again. In his hands he carried a small card and the usual chrysanthemums. He sat at Truman's grave, where his friends spirit awaited him.

"Jeez, Danny-boy, can't you let a guy rest in peace?" Truman quipped. "You can't come to me forever."

"It's good to see you too," Dan replied with a smile. "I brought you a picture of her." He held of the card for Truman to see. On it was a picture of himself and Amanda, holding each other as if for dear life.

"Ooh, she's as cute as when you introduced me to her," Truman replied. "Good thing you got to her. Girls like her are a once-in-a-lifetime catch."

"Now if only _she_ would believe that." They both laughed.

The laughter quickly faded. "You know," Truman began again, "I've seen how Marius is becoming a real pain for you. He isn't gonna stop making you suffer until one of you are dead."

"Yeah," Dan answered.

"I can't help but think that I'm at least partially to blame," the ghost mumbled.

"NO," Dan answered. "This isn't your fault. You didn't know he was _that_ nuts. Don't let that worry you."

"I can't shake that feeling, though," Truman said. "I don't want him hurting you just because I didn't tell him that I didn't like him that much soon enough."

"Tru, those kinds of doubts keep ghosts trapped on Earth forever. You can't cross over and enjoy yourself in the next life if that's anchoring you to this one."

Dan stood up from the grave and looked Truman in his ghastly eye. "I promise I'll take care of Mars. He won't mess up my life or anyone else's. And he won't mess up your afterlife."

"I wish I could believe that, Dan," Truman replied as he faded away. "I really do."

Dan walked out of the burial grounds replying, "Just you watch."

* * *

"Give it up, Yolanda, I've closed entire all-you-can-eat chains. Against me, what chance do you have?"

The Pink Ranger glared at the Black Ranger across the table in the back of Highway 2 where five Rangers and Zack had gathered for lunch.

"There's always a chance. You just might end up with the worst case of indigestion you've ever had."

"Maybe so, but who wants to live forever?"

"Who's talking about dying?" Jessica cut in, laying down her fork in her General Tso's Chicken, "She's talking about upset stomachs, what is with you and always having to over-dramatize things, Johnnie?"

"I prefer to think of it as flair, love."

Her mouth hidden behind the large piece of Black Pepper Chicken held in her chopsticks, Amanda muttered, "Be careful we don't kick that flair up your ass so hard that it pops out your mouth."

"Up my ass and out my mouth, who do you think I am? James from Nukeland Cinema?"

"'Who do we think you are?' Man, you don't want us to answer that question right now," Zack stated before taking another bite of Garlic Beef.

"Why not? Can't be any worse than the answers we've been hearing all day," J.T. countered, gesturing with his own chopsticks before picking up another piece of sushi and popping it in his mouth.

"That bad?" Justin asked.

"That bad? That bad? So far we've had people who've never watched Kevin Smith movies, one person didn't know where you could find a hundred virgins in L.A. on a Saturday-"

"Comic book convention," Justin interjected automatically.

"-rabid fanshippers, and I do mean RABID... and Amanda's personal favorite, someone who didn't even know who Rumiko Takahashi-sama is."

"Don't even joke about that, J.T." Yolanda commented in a warning tone.

"Joking? If I were joking it'd start with 'Have you heard that Hasbro's recalled Prom Night Barbie?' I'm dead serious, even I wouldn't joke about that."

"And those are just some of the more memorable ones," Amanda noted, "So far we've had arrogant, clueless, attitudes and stupidity and not a single person worth hiring."

"It reminds me of Londo's general opinion of humanity," J.T. said.

"Huh?" Zack blinked in confusion.

Justin laughed, "'Arrogance and Stupidity all in one package, how efficent.'"

"Amen, Reverend," J.T. nodded, lifting his drink in a half-toast before taking a drink.

* * *

Daniel walked the streets of Scenic City, doing his best to deal with his recent visit to Truman's grave. Zack would try to help, it was just the way he was; J.T. had a habit of analyzing things that put him out of the running; Yolanda wasn't an option; Justin was a possibility, but there had been something strange with the Red Ranger over recent days; and as much as he loved Amanda, he didn't always know how to talk to her... and he certainly wasn't talking to any of their enemies. That left only one person for the Blue Literati Ranger to go to who didn't make him uncomfortable, wouldn't try to help too much, had no plans for his demise and could be trusted to keep Daniel's status as a Ranger secret - Truman.

He shook his head, this whole 'rivalry' with Marius that had developed over Truman was something he never wanted. Truman had always been like his brother, but Marius had seen him as something more and blamed Daniel's friendship with Truman for taking Truman away from him. Of all the Literati Rangers, he was one of the last to seek confrontation, yet he always found himself forced into it by Marius. In a way, he was beginning to understand why J.T. and Amanda considered Jon their primary target - one had called him a friend, the other had loved him, so they both considered it their responsibility to stop him. He had never cared one way or the other about Marius, he was just another one of Truman's friends that occasionally joined them for Dungeons and Dragons, it was Marius who saw Daniel as a threat and rival. It was Marius who blamed Daniel for Truman's death. It was Marius who, after Truman's funeral, had sworn to make Daniel's life miserable, even going so far as to target Daniel's friends. It was Marius who had made a deal with darkness to do so, becoming Mars in the process and a threat not only to Daniel and those close to him, but to innocent bystanders whose only connection was living in the same city as him. All of which meant that Mars was Daniel's responsibility to stop, no matter the cost.

Daniel's thoughts, and his stride, were broken as Marius appeared in front of him out of nowhere, arms crossed and a look of hatred on his face.

"What right do you have to go there?"

"As much as it pains you to hear it, Marius, he was my friend too."

Hatred turned to fury as Marius spoke, "He was more than that to me and yet he chose you over me... and now you speak of him so casually, how DARE you?"

Daniel pointed at Marius, "You're nuts."

"If so, then it's all your fault... Prepare to suffer!"

With that, Marius reached into his pocket and drew out a gold medallion and chain. Pulling it over his head, darkness swirled around him before forming into a black outfit. Looking around, Daniel gave silent thanks that there was no one else around, as he crossed his arms.

"Unleash that within... DEMON SPIRIT!"

Blue light flared up around Daniel before dying down and forming the uniform of the Blue Literati Ranger. Throwing his arms out to the side, the Blue Ranger summoned his helmet and Literati Shield into existance.

"Just so you know," Daniel informed Mars, drawing his Demon Axe, "Imitating Ryoga gets you nowhere with me... and the line is 'Prepare to die.'"

"Death is too good for you, you deserve to writh in eternal torment knowing you've lost everything you hold dear."

"Over my dead body," Daniel countered, emphasising the dead as a foil to Mars' personal intentions.

Mars smiled coldly, "If you insist."

With no further prelude, Mars raised his hand and fired a blast of energy at the Blue Ranger. Reacting instinctively, Daniel managed to block it with his Axe. Before Daniel could retaliate, his opponent spun towards him, lashing out with his booted heel. Daniel staggered, clutching his ribs with his free hand. Throwing down his Axe, the Blue Ranger caught Mars leg while it was still in the air, using it to toss him upwards. Twisting on his way up, Mars caught Daniel's neck in a pincer using his legs, using the manuver to lift Daniel along with him and slam him into the ground on the same side that he had just kicked. With Daniel stunned, Mars took the opportunity to unleash a very dirty blow, an ax-kick to the Blue Ranger's groin. Flipping to his feet as his opponent writhed in pain, Mars walked over to Daniel's abandoned weapon and picked it up.

"You know, I didn't want to do this, I wanted to make you suffer, to have a long and painful life. But you've forced this on me," Mars said, approaching his fallen opponent.

Daniel moaned, "Correction, you're _completely_ nuts."

Mars laughed raising the Demon Axe, "Prepare to say goodbye to yours, along with everything else you possess..."

As the Axe fell, Daniel braced for the end, one thought going through his mind...

'I'm sorry, Mandi-chan...'

From the cover of shadows, a beam of light lanced out, striking the Demon Axe before it could complete its deadly arc, sending it flying out of Mars' hand and into the air. Reaching his hand skyward, Daniel caught his falling weapon and lashed out with it from his position on the ground, knocking Mars back and giving the Blue Ranger time to rise to his feet. Still off-balanced by the sudden turn of the battle's tide, Mars was unable to block the trio of Axe strikes launched by Daniel as he went on the offensive. Continuing his attack, Daniel quickly flipped his Axe to Blaster mode and fired it point blank at the dark wizard, sending him flying backwards through the air. Flipping in midair, Mars righted himself and hovered for several seconds before vanishing in a blinding flash of dark energy.

Demorphing, Daniel winced and grabbed his side where Mars had targeted before dropping to his knees, "Don't think it's broken... that doesn't make it hurt any less though..."

Using the last of his strength, Daniel activated the teleporter button on his communicator...

* * *

"So there I am," Amanda said, "Just me behind the counter and the customer getting violent because we didn't have the volume they were looking for, not listening when I was trying to tell them that we couldn't have it because the series had ended at a lower number, so that volume didn't even exist. Finally, it reached the point when I thought they'd come over the counter at me, so I did the only thing I could do..."

"Which was?" Zack asked.

"Told them to go check Blockbuster, of course," Amanda answered in a 'duh' tone of voice.

"Oh, of course," Zack nodded, "Silly of me not to realize it."

J.T. snickered, "It's really kind of obvious - DANIEL!"

"What do you mean - Oh my god!"

By the time Amanda had turned around to see her fiance's battered form materialize, J.T. had already run across the room and dropped to his knees beside the Blue Ranger.

"What happened?"

"Ma... Mars..." Daniel winced through the pain, "How... do I... look?"

J.T. carefully tilted Daniel's head from side to side, noting the groans, then raised the other Ranger's shirt, "My first aid class was a long time ago, but you look like you've got some bruising to the neck... a bruised ribcage - it doesn't appear to be broken, but it could still be cracked - luckily, it doesn't seem to have punctured the lungs."

"How can you be so sure?" Amanda asked, clutching Daniel's hand for dear life.

"He's breathing, ain't he? Anything else?"

"Yea... but not... telling you... what..."

"Right, got it..." J.T. sighed, "I'm no expert, but it's your choice - hospital or not?"

As she and the others joined them, Jessica shook her head, "And how would you explain it to the hospital? What would you say? 'Nothing major, my good doctor, simply injuries sustained fighting evil as a Power Ranger'?"

"She's right," Yolanda added, "I also recall that you guys didn't take me to the hospital, remember?"

J.T. rolled his eyes, "It'd be a little suspicious for one of us to be injured whenever the Rangers are down a member, and verse-visa - for one of the Rangers to be out of action whenever one of us is hurt."

"What other choice do we have?" Zack asked openly.

"There... There may be another way," Yolanda thought out-loud.

Amanda immediately grabbed Yolanda by the shoulders and started shaking her, an action that drew the full attention of the other Rangers, "What is it? What? What is it, Yolanda? Talk to me, for the Twins' sake!"

"I will just as soon as you stop shaking me!" Yolanda got out through the head-jerks being caused by Amanda's actions.

The Pink Ranger's words cut through Amanda's caution-induced haze and made her realize what she was doing.

"Oh. Well, I'm... sorry," she apologized with a nervous chuckle.

Yolanda gave an annoyed look at her longtime friend, "What does a flame do?"

Justin groaned, "It burns. What kind of answer is that?"

"It burns, yes... But what does a flame do when it's that of a Phoenix?"

Jessica looked at Yolanda quizzically.

The Siren Ranger just smiled, "It brings rebirth..."

Realization dawned in the Green Ranger's eyes, "I... I don't even know if the Power would let me do that..."

Amanda looked at her, "If it doesn't, we're no worse off than we are now - try it."

Jessica took a step toward the fallen Blue Ranger, then a deep breath as she crossed her arms, "Unleash that within - Phoenix Spirit."

Green light flared up around Jessica before dying down and forming the uniform of the Green Literati her arms out to the side, the Green Ranger summoned her helmet and Literati Shield into existance.

"Phoenix Spirit - the cycle of life and death."

Light again formed around Jessica, a skin-tight sheath of pure Power Grid energy. Around her forearms and lower legs, the energy grew thicker. From her shoulders, the energy flowed outward like ribbons. Flaring even brighter, the energy solidified into Jessica's Spirit Armor as the light it put off died down. Taking her helmet off and setting it beside her as she kneeled by Daniel's side, Jessica held her hands out over the Blue Ranger and focused. Using the same methods she used for gymnastics, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind of everything except the thought of healing Daniel.

"Look!"

Yolanda's shout caused Jessica to open her eyes. What she saw surprised her, her hands were glowing with green energy that was flowing from them to cover Daniel.

Stunned, Jessica's jaw dropped and she whispered in awe, "How am I doing this?"

As the glow subsided, Daniel groaned and rose to a sitting position, "...Do not want to do that again..."

Looking around, Daniel met the eyes of his friends and teammates - even the non-Ranger one - Amanda, the woman he loved; Yolanda; Justin; Zack, who somehow managed to keep Highway 2 operating dispite its employees; Jessica; and...

"Hey," The Blue Ranger looked around, confused, "Where'd Magnus go?"

* * *

Scenic City was well-named, being considered among the top three scenic cities in the nation, but like all cities, it had its dark spots. Places where the shadows overpowered the light, places where darkness reigned and only the foolish and insane would go.

Places like where J.T. was now, the residence of Marius Orbensky. He had seen fit to let himself in without knocking - that is, unless one considers kicking in a door knocking - and was stopped in his tracks.

'This guy's crazier than I am...' J.T. thought, taking in the defaced pictures of Daniel both in and out of morph plastered all over the walls and the pictures of one of Daniel's friends - Truman, if he recalled, the one that had passed away a couple years before - that were arranged in what the Black Ranger could only call a shrine.

Marius looked up calmly from watching an old home video of himself and Truman, "I hope you're planning on fixing that before you leave."

"Fix it yourself," J.T. snapped, "I'm here to deliver a message."

Marius stood up and turned to face the unmorphed Ranger, "Hmph, is Beetlemania back?"

"You think you're funny? The joke's on you; there's something you need to know..."

"Know what?"

"'The wheels of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small.'"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

A cold smirk came to J.T.'s face, and before Marius could react the other man had come across the room and pinned the wizard to the wall with a forearm pressed against his neck. Reaching with his free hand, J.T. picked up a framed picture of Marius and Truman and smashed it against the wall, leaving a piece of broken wood and shattered glass in his hand that he moved to within inches of Marius' face.

"You'll learn."

With that, J.T. used his left leg as a hook to pull Marius' legs out from under him, moving the arm that had held him against the wall so that it now helped to shove him to the floor and pin him there along with a knee in the small of his back.

"But also know this; if Daniel dies - by yourhand - then _you_ will die by _my_ hand and, as they say, 'the rock cried out 'no hiding place'.'"

Dropping the picture, J.T. didn't even wait for an answer before swinging his fist hard at the back of Marius' head, knocking his opponent unconscious.

Rising to his feet, J.T. shook his head, "'The wheels of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small.'"

With that, he left.

* * *

Daniel was sitting at the table in the back of Highway 2 with his head on his arms. While his wounds had been healed, he still had a splitting headache from the experience and as much as he loved her, Amanda's concern for him was not helping that headache.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Daniel answered, suppressing a groan.

"Are you sure?"

Daniel sighed, giving up, "If I say no, will you dress up in a skimpy nurse's outfit?"

Amanda looked at him with an evil grin, then spoke in a husky voice, "Would you like me to?"

Daniel sputtered for a moment. He knew that Amanda was supposed to have one, but he'd never actually seen it. The blatant offer, dispite their already-existing sex life, was almost enough to give him a nosebleed.

"If you do it, do it in private," J.T. said, walking into the room from the rear entrance.

"Hey, where were you, you dumb dragon? We might have needed you."

J.T. looked at Amanda, "Taking care of something... ugly."

He walked towards the other door, the one leading into the actual store, then stopped, "I don't suppose you checked any more applicants while I was gone."

"She didn't, but I did," Zack said, opening the door to his office, "It would have helped if some of my management staff had been there though."

"Find someone?"

"Yeah," Zack nodded, "Kid named Luis Rojas. Passed all the tests... how long he'll last on the actually job - we'll have to see."

"There's a lot of things that we'll have to see about, Zack," J.T. answered, "And they are not all good ones."


End file.
